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Just catching up on TRP and there's an article and statistics about the drop goal, basically how it's a dying art. A decent read, but makes me wonder with our pitch how come we don't take advantage of the 3g surface and try more drop goals?
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it's an easy skill to master but surely advantage would be ours on home turf.

I don't want to mention the last time i seen at attempted drop goal at Kingston park because it effectively lost us the game against Leicester last season, and it was a pretty easy one.

I'd rather us play the forward driving around the fringes and really grind down defences, sucking the players in then giving it to the fast lads out wide to finish off with the hope of 5 points, but there is something to be said with keeping the board ticking over 3 points at a time.

i do think when a defence is well set close to their own line a drop goal is a useful option. It ticks the board over and if you end up down there again maybe someone rushes out of the line to try and stop a further attempt and creates an attacking opportunity.

I still remember South Africa kicking England to defeat in the Rugby World Cup.

When we had Golden Balls drop kicking points for us week after week it won us games. It is a skill that our half backs & centres should practise to add to their abilities. We had this discussion after Joel made such an awful job of it at the end of that Leicester game, and it does look like a potentially useful tool that has lost favour.

Our red-zone conversion rate is one of the best in the Premiership, meaning when we get into the 22 we have a very strong chance of scoring a try.

That's not to say there aren't moments when slow ball, advantage or whatever couldn't be channelled into a DG attempt, but basically we're effective with ball in hand inside the 22, so we don't go for a lot of DGs.

markismith50Our red-zone conversion rate is one of the best in the Premiership, meaning when we get into the 22 we have a very strong chance of scoring a try.
That's not to say there aren't moments when slow ball, advantage or whatever couldn't be channelled into a DG attempt, but basically we're effective with ball in hand inside the 22, so we don't go for a lot of DGs.

Just a thought, but I wonder if the decline in drop goals is in some way linked to the introduction of bonus points. The 4 try bonus point option, might have had a marginal impact of the decision making of whether to go for a try or a drop kick - marginal but enough to show up over enough games?

London_FalconJust a thought, but I wonder if the decline in drop goals is in some way linked to the introduction of bonus points. The 4 try bonus point option, might have had a marginal impact of the decision making of whether to go for a try or a drop kick - marginal but enough to show up over enough games?

The 4 try bonus was alive & well when the DG was still in fashion. It must be an individual thing, as I remember supporters of other clubs moaning about how boring it was, usually after we had beaten them in games that included a few drop goals by Wilkinson or Walder. I bet they wouldn't have moaned if their own fly half at the time had been any good at it.

It does seem to have dropped off the radar over the last decade or so, and on the rare occasions when somebody does have a go, only because they have free ball while playing advantage right in front of the sticks, they invariably make a dog's breakfast of it. I try not remember a simply awful attempt at a genuine attacking DG by Finn Russell.

I remember having this chat with Jimmy Gopperth a while back, and his answer was that he was absolutely hopeless at them no matter how much he practiced, so he basically just didn't back himself enough to slot one.

He did try a couple in his time with us, which were mainly shanks or grass-cutters when playing advantage.

I'm not surprised drop goals are becoming a rare occurrence. Rugby players are becoming bigger, heavier and quicker and as a result it is easier to scope tries. Obviously tries are rewarded with more points within the game and also points on the table.

I remember a very similar DG statistic being banded around a couple of years ago. It was something like <8 successful DG in the previous season. Following that story, in the proceeding 2 weeks, messrs Ford, Farrell and Goode scored about 6 between them. So hopefully the story on TRP will get the ball rolling!

It's pretty obvious to see why they have dropped - it's coaching ethos.

Across the board teams are trained to minimise risk. The midfield is.becoming more congested as tackles are less committed meaning there is less free space to pull the trigger. Couple that with a mentality that if you have the space for a DG, then chances are that you have the space to work a runner past the gainline.

If you factor all that in and then apply the fact that DG accuracy is an exceptional skill then you can see the logic of not taking them.

Even looking at what Smithy says - if our red zone conversion is high, even with golden balls there would have been less emphasis on them. When you look back - if Johnny got the ball in space with the Falcons performances 15 years ago, he might not have seen it again for a substantial period, particularly in range, so having a pop is logical.

Our team are better now. We have the best team since the late 90's, playing a style that suits them, but which isn't unusual. The demise of the DG is not a surprise.

markismith50Our red-zone conversion rate is one of the best in the Premiership, meaning when we get into the 22 we have a very strong chance of scoring a try.
That's not to say there aren't moments when slow ball, advantage or whatever couldn't be channelled into a DG attempt, but basically we're effective with ball in hand inside the 22, so we don't go for a lot of DGs.

I was going to mention this actually although I had no stats to confirm it. This season we've been extremely lethal in the opposition half. We more than not get a try, especially in the 2nd half of the season.

On complete contrast, we've really cut out the tries conceded of late. The amount of time we nick a turnover or make the opposition knock on is fantastic.

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